Red Hot News http://www.redhotnews.net The very latest Technology news, video, audio and feature stories Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:11:15 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Square: The Perfect Solution For Tricky Drug And Prostitution Transactions? One of the big problems with drug and prostitution transactions is that they tend to involve a lot of cash, and cash is hard to launder. Taking credit card payments has never been easier via Square, which lets anyone swipe credit cards with their iPhone. Sure, it leaves one heck of a paper trail, but you have to wonder if at least a few of those person to person transactions aren't being done via that sexy startup. I certainly have.]]> http://www.redhotnews.net/square-the-perfect-solution-for-tricky-drug-and-prostitution-transactions/ Ex-Googler and Ex-Facebooker Start Invite-Only Workspace Sunfire Offices A unique spin on the concept of co-working space, Sunfire Offices was started three months ago by ex- Google engineering manager Niniane Wang and and ex-Facebook engineering manager Yishan Wong. While there are plenty of other co-working spaces in downtown Mountain View, like Hacker Dojo and Plug In Play, Wong and Wang, not satisfied with the available options, decided to create one of their own. So they rented office space and got funding from a number of angel investors including Keith Rabois and James Hogan, who completely sponsored the space, meaning that Wong and Wang were then able to offer it rent free to other startups and individuals working on personal projects,“Our goal was to build a co-working space focused on top-tier talent.” ]]> http://www.redhotnews.net/ex-googler-and-ex-facebooker-start-invite-only-workspace-sunfire-offices/ Researchers set new record for ferroelectric data storage http://www.redhotnews.net/researchers-set-new-record-for-ferroelectric-data-storage/ Zotac’s Zboxes are small, Ion-fueled, and cheap http://www.redhotnews.net/zotacs-zboxes-are-small-ion-fueled-and-cheap/ Wow. If You Think Quitting Booze Freaks People Out, Wait ‘Til You Quit Twitter I promise this is my last word on the subject. I had already promised myself, actually, that I wouldn’t write any more about my decision to quit Facebook, Linkedin, Foursquare, Blippy, Yammer, Dopplr and every other social network other than Twitter. But then I added Twitter to the list - deleting my 10,000+ follower account and returning to more traditional blogging - and suddenly all (social media) hell broke loose. For reasons I can’t quite understand - it’s not like I’ve quit food or oxygen - my inbox has since been flooded with emails. Some are just standard notes of congratulations for cutting the cord while others scream that I’m a Luddite who doesn’t ‘get’ Twitter (by and large these are the same people who describe themselves as “social media ninja”s on their profiles: the modern day equivalent of those “My other car is the Batmobile” bumber stickers). The majority of messages, though, are from people who are strongly considering following my lead, but are worried that their body or mind might not be able to cope with the shock. How do I feel since quitting? Can I offer them any advice?]]> http://www.redhotnews.net/wow-if-you-think-quitting-booze-freaks-people-out-wait-%e2%80%98til-you-quit-twitter/ How would you change Apple’s iPhone 4? http://www.redhotnews.net/how-would-you-change-apples-iphone-4/ Zuckerberg: Facebook Photos Used 5 Or 6 Times More Than Competitors — Combined Yesterday, Facebook held a developer's garage event at their headquarters in Palo Alto. To kick things off, CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage to talk a bit about the history of Facebook. Notably, he focused on Facebook Photos as being a key catalyst that led to everything the social network is today. He noted that when they launched the product, they didn't have all of the features that their competitors did. For example, they didn't have high-resolution photos and you couldn't print them. But one thing they did have was the social element -- and this changed everything. "Those features by themselves were more important than anything else combined," Zuckerberg said of the social elements of Facebook Photos. He then dropped the competitor bomb. "The photo product that we have is maybe five or six times more used than every other product on the web -- combined," Zuckerberg stated.]]> http://www.redhotnews.net/zuckerberg-facebook-photos-used-5-or-6-times-more-than-competitors-%e2%80%94-combined/ Ricoh outs rather rugged, water-resistant G700 point and shoot http://www.redhotnews.net/ricoh-outs-rather-rugged-water-resistant-g700-point-and-shoot/ Patent Suit Day Continues: Microsoft Takes Fight With i4i Over XML To The Supreme Court While not the biggest Microsoft-related lawsuit news of the day, Microsoft just announced that it'll be taking its patent infringement case against Canadian technology firm i4i to the highest level, the US Supreme Court. Last August a federal court of appeals upheld the decision of a lower court that Microsoft had in fact infringed i4i's XML patent ('449), by introducing Microsoft WORD in 2003 and continuing the XML editing capabilities through 2007. Microsoft was ordered to pay i4i $290 million dollars in fees and change the disputed version of Word.]]> http://www.redhotnews.net/patent-suit-day-continues-microsoft-takes-fight-with-i4i-over-xml-to-the-supreme-court/ Ben Huh Asks: “I Can Haz Reddit?” (Offers To Buy It From Condé Nast) It's no secret that social link sharing community Reddit isn't singing the praises of its corporate parent Condé Nast, which acquired the company in 2006. Earlier today the two sparred over running ads in support of California's Proposition 19, which would legalize marijuana in the state. And Reddit has previously written about the shortage of resources that Condé Nast is willing to provide.  Now Ben Huh, founder and CEO of the Cheezburger network, is offering to take Reddit off Condé's hands. In a letter published by The Daily What (a part of the Cheezburger network), Huh writes that he's offered to buy Reddit before privately, and he's now making it public. From the post:
Condé Nast, I’m publicly offering to buy Reddit. ]]> http://www.redhotnews.net/ben-huh-asks-%e2%80%9ci-can-haz-reddit%e2%80%9d-offers-to-buy-it-from-conde-nast/